· Government plans to log the web habits of all private citizens for up to a year
· 650 Public bodies will have access to the information without legal procedure
January 13th 2010
The Interception Modernisation Program (IMP) is to proceed as planned following information gleaned from the Home Office towards the end of last year. The system is designed to keep the details of every UK net user logged for a year – this includes the time and dates of all websites visited, email accessed and Facebook and other social networking sites used.
This information will be stored for up to a year, and amazingly over 650 public bodies will be able to access the information without needing the permission of a judge. That includes services like the NHS and the Post Office.
The overall cost of the scheme is expected to reach as high as 2 billion pounds in the next decade.
The report details that ‘strict safeguards’ will be put in place to protect the information from illegal use, such as commercial or political abuse and theft. This hasn’t convinced the public however, with the consultation showing a support of only 26% from respondents, with half of all respondents being completely opposed to the idea.
The Product Director at ukcheapbroadband.com is quoted as saying:
“Many members of the government are actually against huge swathes of this proposed plan including the Office of the Information Commissioner and the conservative and liberal democrat parties.
While digital security is of utmost importance and should be taken very seriously, there are a large number of people who are opposed to the plans and it encourages the profiling of innocent people. Meanwhile, many real criminals will find ways around the plans such as using anonymous internet access and disposable email accounts to share information.
It is however important to note that it’s the amount of times a website has been accessed and when that will be available, not the content of each message or email sent.”
About UKCheapBroadband.com:
UKCheapBroadband prides itself on offering free and impartial advice and information on all broadband services available in the UK.
UKCheapBroadband searches thousands of different packages and internet service providers to ensure that consumers have a full range of choice at their fingertips. As an independent source, UKCheapBroadband prides itself on its transparency and fairness.
As well as providing comparison features UKCheapBroadband also runs a successful broadband blog keeping users up to date with the latest deals and news and plays host to hundreds of guides explaining all aspects of broadband technology and purchasing.
For further information please contact:
Charles at contact@ukcheapbroadband.com
